Feb192011

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Kristi Noem (R-SD) early
this morning joined a majority of her House colleagues in voting in favor of a
bill to cut $100 billion from the federal budget this year. The spending cuts
were included in legislation that provides funding for the government through
September 30th. The measure also included an amendment offered by Rep.
Noem to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from implementing
new rules regulating dust.

"The best way to grow our economy is to cut wasteful spending and provide
small businesses more regulatory and tax certainty. Cutting spending by
$100 billion, as Republicans pledged last year, is an important first step to
getting our fiscal house in order," said Noem.

“I am pleased that a bipartisan majority in the House agreed to my common sense
amendment to stop further EPA regulation of dust in rural America. Anyone
who has driven a combine through a field knows that dust is a part of rural
living. The possibility of the EPA fining farmers and livestock producers
who practice good management through further regulation of dust would be
excessive and detrimental to our nation’s vital agriculture industry. It
is hard to think of something more emblematic of Washington’s regulatory
overreach than the potential punishment of farmers and livestock producers for
kicking up dust,” said Noem.

“There is enough uncertainty for farming in rural America. We do not need
to add to that uncertainty with the threat of tougher EPA regulations on farm
dust. Farmers are looking for certainty about the future. Burdening
them with greater regulations on dust is excessive and will hurt job creation,”
said Noem.

The Noem Amendment, which was approved by a vote of 255 to 168, would prohibit
the EPA from using any of the funds made available under H.R. 1 (the Continuing
Resolution funding the government for the rest of the fiscal year) to modify
the National Primary or Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards for coarse
particulate matter under the Clean Air Act. The amendment is supported by
the American Farm Bureau, National Cattleman’s Beef Association, National Corn
Growers Association, South Dakota Stockgrowers and R-CALF USA.

H.R. 1 now moves on to the Senate for consideration. The current funding
resolution for the federal government expires on March 4th.